No. 5 Washington volleyball team defeats Boise State in season opener

The Washington volleyball team kicked off its 2013 campaign with its 12th consecutive win in a season opener, defeating Boise State 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-16) in the Northwest Challenge at Portland State.

“It’s always good to get the first one under your belt,” coach Jim McLaughlin said. “Teams are going to play well against us, which is a good thing, so the concern is that we focus on what we need to do.”

The fifth-ranked Huskies were led by junior All-American Krista Vansant, who had team-highs of 11 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Melanie Wade hit a career-best .692 with a career-high-tying nine kills and no errors.

Washington faces Portland State at noon on Saturday, then plays Gonzaga five hours later.

• Seattle U earned a 3-0 win over Texas Tech before falling 3-0 to host Weber State at the Wildcat Weekend Tournament in Ogden, Utah.

• Eastern Washington fell 3-1 at Oregon.

Men’s soccer

• Brad Jacobson scored in the 63rd minute to lead Washington past Gonzaga 1-0 in the season opener at Gonzaga Soccer Field.

• Seattle U fell at Maryland-Baltimore County, 3-1.

• Northwest U fell to Rocky Mountain 3-0 at home.

Women’s Soccer

• WSU’s Micaela Castain had two goals and two assists in the Cougars’ 5-0 home win over Idaho.

• Eastern Washington fell to Nevada, 2-0, in a match that was relocated to Sacramento, Calif., from Reno, Nev., due to poor air quality.

• Seattle U defeated visiting Boise State 2-1 in overtime.

Cross Country

• Washington’s and Seattle U’s men’s and women’s teams opened up their seasons at the UW-Seattle U Open at Magnussen Park in Seattle. UW’s Eleanor Fulton won the women’s race in 17 minutes, 6 seconds, while Washington’s Aaron Nelson won the men’s race in 22:17. The meet served mostly as a tuneup for the season, and many runners crossed the finish line in groups.